For Sutil, Force India can stay in the top 10

Adrian Sutil is optimistic about Force India’s chances of staying in the top 10 throughout the 2010 championship. The team has scored points in every race, with Sutil’s recent fifth place at Sepang being his best result of the year so far. Moreover, the young German has reached Q3 in all three qualifying sessions.

He doesn’t see why Force India wouldn’t hold on to its current position in the hierarchy. The battle with Renault is therefore expected to be very tough for the fifth place behind the top four teams.

« I think we did a good job over the winter because, in addition, the first races were very competitive, » said Sutil. « Our car is capable of consistently operating within the top 10, and we are really a strong team this year. It’s good to see where we stand. Of course, we cannot fight against the big teams. It’s not easy, but it is possible sometimes, and we have to seize our chance. »

« In dry conditions, we are always very close between eighth and 12th place, and with a good lap in Q2, we can reach Q3. It’s tight, but it’s possible. In the rain, the question doesn’t even arise, we are very strong. We also plan some updates for the next two races. If we do this and continue this trend throughout the season, we should be regulars in Q3. »

Sutil lost a battle with Robert Kubica’s Renault at the start of the Malaysian GP and was unable to regain his position. But he believes there is little difference between Force India and Renault in pure pace: « In the second stint, I felt I was going a bit faster, maybe a few seconds or something like that over 20 laps, » added the driver. « But we are very equal. I think we need to find 0.2 seconds per lap to beat them. »

He also thinks that Force India needs to find a way to get closer to Renault during race starts, impressive on the French side: « On the starting lines, we need to improve a bit. This year, Renault starts its races incredibly well. We need to focus on this point. We’re not bad, but we can improve. »